What is the difference between these two breadboards?

[Fei]

One of them has the switches at the top...what is the main difference I bought the one without the switches..is that the same thing? It was cheaper, I wonder why?

https://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=276-169

https://www.futurlec.com/Breadboards.shtml

please explain. I am a newbie.

 

[jrz126]

The difference between those boards is only that one is mounted to a piece of metal with some binding posts on top (what you referred to as switches), they give you a more convienent way of connecting your power and ground wires to the breadboard.

the main reason why the one with the binding posts is more expensive is because it is from radioshack. electronics express has them for alot cheaper. https://www.elexp.com/bb_101.htm $20 min. order though.

 

[mechie]

Breadboards

fei
One difference between the two is the fact that the second link shows a loose 'tile' - these will clip to others to create larger breadboards for big projects.
It's easy enough to fasten a few terminal or 'binding' posts to a bit of hardboard if you need them (which I don't very often) :wink:

 

[williB]

Personally i dont like the radioshack breadboards , when you try to insert a diode with a larger than normal diameter ,but still fits through the plastic they dont really insert very easily..

 

[Styx]

bah, just use some strip-board.

Never liked breadboards

 

[Ryan Harding]

i guess that breaboards are more experimental, i've never made a circuit from scratch as i don't have the knowledge of how to. so i usually just go straight to strip board

 

[Juglenaut]

Stay away from rat shack brand bread boards they like to pull leads and break off inside, and are hard to press leads in.

Futurlec is a good quality bread.

Jameco is the best in my opinion.

Both breads my appear the same but aren't trust me, after use of the rat shack it will eat leads.

 

[Dean Huster]

You're going to pay a little more, but the best breadboards (and I've tried bunches) are the Global Specialties brand and second best are the E & L Electronics brand. Both are under the corporate umbrella of Interplex Electronics. Both of these brands have UNLIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTIES on their breadboards. If they fail for any reason ... even if you spring the contacts, melt them down from overdissipated resistors or reversed power on ICs or they simple are so old that they're worn ... they will replace them at no charge. The warranty was a wonderful thing in the school where I taught where the boards got a lot of rough use and Interplex Electronics replaced them, no questions asked, time and time again. All you pay for is the return postage to get them to Interplex.

I avoid any Asian boards like the plague. Yeah, they're cheap. But I've never seen any that were reliable or weren't intermittent. I hate 'em.

Dean

 

[zachtheterrible]

hi fei. i have that exact radioshack board. i got it before i knew that there was electronics suppliers outside of radioshack on the net. mistake :lol:

it gets the job done just fine, but the leads ARE hard to push in there. and the binding posts, never even use em.